Temptation
by DontHateMeCuzImBeautiful
Summary: He had never been one to be overly protective or even remotely caring.Of course it hadn’t been long before he gave into his desires, though he doubted he could have withstood her for much longer. He couldn’t resist her, not since he’d had a taste SessXRin


**Disclaimer: Since my X-mas wish didn't come true I STILL don't own Inuyasha...**

**A/N: Hey guys! Yet another story from me! I'm sorry I know you're tired of reading one-shots by me but I promise I haven't abandoned my other stories! Anyway I thought of this on a whim and it's only my second Sess/Rin fic! YAY! **

**Now, there was a HUGE opportunity for me to write a lemon in here (It will be obvious when you get there) but I didn't do it merely because I didn't know if it needed one.

* * *

**

He had never been one to be overly protective or even remotely caring. He'd made his way through the world with his icy yet superior demeanor and it had gained him everything he held; his kingdom, his power, his life.

Yet there was one who rendered his icy exterior defenseless, one woman who could nearly bring him to his knees with a mere whiff of their mixed scent. Feelings for her threatened to destroy the way of life he'd made for himself, the part that yearned for her, begged to be set free like an animal from its cage to mark her as his own. Of course it hadn't been long before he gave into his desires though he doubted he could have withstood her for much longer. He couldn't resist her, not since he'd had a taste...

* * *

"_Sesshomaru-sama?" _

_Her angelic voice drifted across the vast room like the sweet tinkling of bells and he found, with disappointment, that he had to hold himself back from going to her. Instead he answered tonelessly, "Rin." _

_She had shuffled uncomfortably in the doorway before asking shyly, "May I enter?" _

_He had broken his gaze out of the window to thoroughly assess the situation. She had never, in the 12 years that he'd had her at the fortress, asked to enter his personal bedchamber. In fact, in the twelve years she'd only actually come to him in his room once or twice, and only if she felt the information was drastically important. Yet there she was, looking terrified and fidgety while trying to appear calm and collected._

_After a moment he gave an imperceptible nod that only she could see and murmured, "Close the door."_

_She lowered her gaze while obediently closing the door behind her, moving to stand in the center of the room uncertainly, almost in shame. When she didn't speak he murmured, "What is it that troubles you Rin?" _

_His tone of voice suggested she be quick with her answer but he was completely stunned when she blurted out, "Sesshomaru-sama, when will I be married?" _

_For a moment Sesshomaru was quite taken aback at her unexpected request and nearly blanched. Only his eyes betrayed the emotion however and it was a long moment before he could come up with a suitable response. _

"_Do you _wish_ to be married Rin?" He replied coolly, yet even as he said it an unexpected emotion sprang from within him, clawing its way up angrily. _

_Rin interrupted his suddenly confusing train of thought as she responded, "No my lord...but Ino says that I'm eighteen now and I should be set up for marriage soon. She says all of the other village girls have husbands already and they are only 17! Am I not good enough for a mate, Lord Sesshomaru?" _

_Another moment of shocked silence followed, this one long enough that it stretched until Rin hung her head, bringing her gaze to the elaborate designs on the carpet. _

"_Come here Rin."_

_Sesshomaru's softened voice took her off-guard but she scurried to obey, nearly tripping over herself in her haste. She moved quickly until she was by his side but kept her gaze lowered respectfully. He in turn looked down at her with interest, taking a moment to drink in the girl beside him. He agreed that she had indeed grown into quite the young lady, growing up right beneath his nose all along._

_She had always been small for her age and at 18 she still weighed a meager 115 pounds; a dainty weight, though acceptable for her rather short and diminutive frame. Long, dark hair spilled unrestrained down her back ending in lazy curls that constantly looked as though she'd gotten her hair wet. Her hair accentuated her bottle green eyes which held joy in every sense of the word, snapped and sparkled like her master's energy whip. He then realized how he'd blatantly been staring at her without answering her initial question. _

_He thought for another moment before he whispered, "I would not be so foolish as to tie you to a man you did not want to be with Rin. And I would not take that foolish Ino's predictions too seriously as she often illustrates dreams of her own fantasy mate. As for your not being good enough..." _

_He grasped her chin between two long, elegant fingers and continued, "This Sesshomaru himself if he was good enough for you." _

_The next second seemed to pass in a blur. One minute Rin's face was an inch from his and the next their lips had connected, a warm and feather light touch initiated by Rin that lasted but a moment. She broke away after a second looking just as shocked as he felt at her brashness before she grasped his hand and whispered, "Thank you." _

_Unsure for the first time in his life on what had just happened Sesshomaru merely watched her go, skipping as though she had not just kissed him and life was indeed back to normal. Minutes after she had left the bewildered Taiyoukai behind he took an elegant seat on the windowsill he had previously been staring out of and gently, so as not to lose the sensation, touched his lips...

* * *

_

The next day Rin had not commented at all on their meeting and indeed did not seem as though she had ever been worried about anything in her life. In fact, it was another six months, just after she turned 18, before the subject was brought up again though Sesshomaru was in no mood for it when the time finally came...

* * *

_Once again Sesshomaru found himself gazing out the window across his lands, a newly common occurrence that he found himself doing when he was thinking particularly hard. Today, however, he was thinking not of his lands but of the young woman now nearly grown who would undoubtedly be very angry with him in a few minutes when he delivered the news. _

_Sure enough a moment later there was light tap on the door alerting him to Rin's presence. He didn't even turn around as he murmured, "Enter." _

_She did as commanded and silently closed the door behind her. "You called for me my Lord?"_

_She sounded slightly anxious but when he glanced at her she continued to smile. His heart twisted just a little. She trusted him so much. _

_Yet he continued as though he hadn't seen her face, continuing to stare out of the window. Mentally taking a deep breath he finally spoke, "Rin, the subject of your marriage was brought up today in the Court." _

_She remained still as he went quiet but he could smell her sudden apprehension at this new piece of information. When she said nothing he continued, "It was agreed that although you are under my care you can not remain this way forever. Prince Hiroshi of the Eastern Lands has generously offered to take you under his wing as he is to become Lord of his own lands soon. You will undoubtedly be happier there as he has many human subjects. He finds them strangely fanciful..." _

_Another bout of silence reigned for a moment before she whispered, "Sesshomaru-sama...do you mean I am to..._mate_ this Prince Hiroshi?" _

_Closing his eyes for a mere moment in thought he replied quietly, "Yes." _

_The silence in the room became suddenly palpable before she murmured, "I-I don't know what to say..." _

_At this he finally turned around and took a good look at her. Her head was hung as she fidgeted with the edge of her kimono and the salty smell of soon to fall tears drifted to his nose. For a fleeting moment he found himself wanting to wrap his arms around her and assure her it was okay but he quickly pushed the emotion back down with her next words. Suddenly her head snapped up and when her eyes connected with his he nearly took a step back. _

_For the first time in her life, Rin was angry. Her normally bright green eyes had darkened to an olive color as dark as a tumultuous sea while her entire body radiated upset. When she spoke it was with the conviction of a jury pronouncing a guilty verdict. _

"You lied to me_." She hissed and with her statement his eyes narrowed dangerously in her direction. _

"_You dare call this Sesshomaru a liar?" _

_He all but snarled back at her but her facial expression never changed as she yelled back, "But you did lie! You promised me that you would not force me to mate anyone I did not love! You _promised_!" _

_Looking as though she'd like to grasp her hair and scream Sesshomaru stalked across the room with deadly intentions so as to strike her for her insubordination. "You will be happier there Rin. This is for your well being-," _

_This time Rin really did scream as she threw back at him, "I'm happy_ here_ Sesshomaru! I do not want to leave the fortress and I certainly don't want to be with this man I have never met!" _

_The taiyoukai's eyes sparkled at the sudden drop of honorifics as he stopped merely feet from her, for the entire world as intimidating as he could possibly look while the mere girl didn't bat an eyelash._

_After taking a stimulating deep breath he murmured in what he hoped was a voice of understanding, "You will not be that far from the fortress as your union with Prince Hiroshi will result in merging our lands together leading to an irrevocable alliance." _

_For a moment Rin's eyes bulged in shock and she went stock still with his statement. Suddenly she whispered in as menacing a voice as she could muster, "You are willing to give me away so that you and this Prince will have stronger lands? Your promise to me is not worth an alliance with a powerful nation? Is that all I am now Lord Sesshomaru? A political tool not even worth a second glance?" _

_Now it was Sesshomaru's turn to hold still while he processed her candid questions and found he couldn't come up with an offhandedly sarcastic remark that would lead her off of his trail. Somehow when she said it the truth did sound pretty harsh... _

_Before he could come up with anything she stepped up to him so that they were inches away from each other before she continued in a slightly higher tone of voice that promised mayhem, "Or is it that I have become a weakness? An Achilles' heel in your rule? Are your lands more important than me?" _

_She lost the battle with herself as she dissolved into a torrent of tears that were strangely silent despite her obvious upset over the situation. As he watched the current run from her usually joyful eyes something within Sesshomaru broke down as easily as she had. And yet he refused to allow himself the disappointment of giving in to this girl's distress. After all, his dream of ruling the lands his father had ruled had been his want for much longer than he had even known Rin was in the world and in his mind it made her second. _

_Her closeness was a bit disconcerting but he refused to give in as he whispered, "I would never lie to you, Rin." _

_Again her eyes widened as she replied sadly, "They _are_ more important..." _

_He didn't say anything as she sniffled slightly but he had to give it to her, she was tough as she continued to hold her head up. _

"_I don't know why my Lord but, somehow...I thought...maybe..." She found she couldn't continue as a fresh wave of tears erupted and she merely turned her back on him. "I was foolish to come here, to follow you so religiously. I was stupid to believe that you could ever...that you would ever..." _

_Slightly irritated at how she was suddenly ignoring him Sesshomaru placed a non-threatening hand on her shoulder before he tried his best not to growl, "That I would ever what...Rin?" _

_This time it took her much longer to respond but she eventually turned to face him as she whispered, "Love me."_

_Without another word she shrugged out of his grip and headed for the door.

* * *

_

The night following the episode between them had been a painful one as he mulled over things that she'd said, the things she'd accused him of and the questions she'd raised in his own mind. She did indeed inhibit feelings of remorse in him, something no one else, not even his own mother, had been able to provoke within him in years, but he did place his lands over her. His person, ruling in general, was his passion and some girl whom he cared for was not going to ruin that. He was determined of that at least. And yet...

There was the fact that she was in love with him. The subject in itself was not all that uncomfortable. In fact, he could easily say that he had nearly prophesized it in his own mind. He could not, however, have banked on it happening so quickly. It had been a mere 12 years and already she had fallen for him? It was a scary thought as 12 years in demon terms wasn't much longer than what a few months was to a human. And yet, an even scarier notion, how exactly did he feel about her?

It had taken some deep digging and soul searching in order to find the answers to his insistent questions in himself. Certainly she was more than the annoying child he merely kept as a plaything when she was 6. But could he care for her the way that she wanted? Did he even _want_ to care for her that way? Indeed the mere thought of trying to fix his lifestyle to accommodate someone else was a feat in it's own right when it came down to it, but he still couldn't get the image of her leaving out of his mind. The mere thought of her presence being gone from the fortress was inexplicably haunting him and would not allow him the peace of mind he so desperately needed.

It was infuriating.

He came to a negotiation within himself that, in order to keep his sanity, he would have to reconcile with Rin before she made plans to leave the kingdom. Surely that would satisfy his constant mental dictations to allow him sleep at night (though as a demon he didn't need it anyway). The next day he decided to settle it once and for all. How little he knew and bargained for...

* * *

_Three days later, instead of bringing her to him, he went in search of Rin after being told she was in her room. It was, after all, rather late at night and he wouldn't be surprised if she was not even awake. Yet his curiosity and newfound conscience would not let the matter of her departure rest until he put his inner turmoil to rest. _

_Not bothering to knock he entered the room down the hall from his own and took a good look around. It took him a moment to realize that in all the years he'd been at the fortress he had never entered Rin's room or even been remotely curious about its whereabouts. _

_One look told him it was small yet it was somehow fitting for Rin. It was sparsely furnished save for a vanity station in the corner (a gift for her 16__th__ birthday from Ino), a table with a set of chairs on the opposite wall of her cot and a screen behind which she could change. It also smelled like the Rin. Her natural scent of flowers and innocence bloomed in her own natural environment which took Sesshomaru by surprise. Before he could act any further, however, a small voice whispered his name in the dark. _

_Rin had stirred from her cot, clumsily wiping all trace of sleep from her eyes and pulling herself into an upright position. He had to remind himself that she was just a human as she looked up at him and the pale moonlight streaming through her window caught her face. Her dark hair streamed down her back, over her shoulders and spilled across the front of the light yukata she'd slept in. The hair only accentuated her suddenly curious green eyes, confusion making them sparkle in the dim glow while her skin looked porcelain white, shockingly pale as opposed to the darkness on top of her head. _

_It suddenly seemed as good a time as any to retreat. _

_She cocked her head to the side, examining him through half closed eyes, looking absolutely tantalizing without even realizing it. Lord Sesshomaru took a deep breath before he murmured, "I would like to...speak to you, about what is to happen in one day's time..."_

_Instantly she went rigid but didn't say anything as she continued to look at him, waiting for his next words. "I am not pleased that you are behaving this way Rin-," _

"I_ am not pleased that you are sending me away, Lord Sesshomaru." _

_Her sudden interruption nearly caused him to falter but her actual sarcastic reply was what brought him up short. Never had he heard the young woman sound so bitter, never had he believed she could, in fact, sound so pained and fragile while continuing to look so...fierce. He almost smiled at the expression on her face, so reminiscent of his own angry looks. He opted to growl instead before he slowly brought himself back under control. After all, anger was what had brought him to her bedchamber in the middle of the night. Very slowly and gracefully he took a step further inside before he sat himself on the floor not but 3 feet away from her piercing stare. _

_He spoke after a moment as he whispered, "I do not wish for you to leave...Rin." He waited for his statement to sink in before he continued in what he hoped was a voice of nonchalance, "And I do not think of you as...unimportant..." _

_He felt himself getting frustrated. How could this human girl make him suddenly feel guilt? He, the great Lord of the Western Lands, who gave no mercy and received none? How dare she even believe herself worthy of his care? But he was shattered out of his tumultuous thoughts by a quiet sigh and looked up in time to see Rin smiling. Her expression, if anything, made him cringe more than her anger. Resentment he could deal with. Rin's sadness he could not. _

_She looked him back in the eye before replying quietly, "It is okay...I understand..." Something in the way she said the sentence made Sesshomaru unsure but she wouldn't let him speak as she instead whispered, "I am a mere human and I am lucky that Lord Sesshomaru brought me back to life and cared for me. I will do everything in my power to repay Sesshomaru-sama and if that means that my presence is required elsewhere then...then I shall be unhappy, to make you happy my lord." _

_To say he was surprised was an understatement. Where was all of this coming from? Hadn't she been angry with him seconds before? Why was she suddenly so eager to do his bidding?_

_She seemed to read the questions on his face as she suddenly giggled softly and stood to her bare feet. The soft yukata trailed along her toes as she skimmed the floor and for a moment Sesshomaru was held still by her ethereal appearance. She seemed to glide to until she crouched right in front of him, blushing lightly before looking away. He had a feeling she was going to ask him something and he would be only too glad to answer, given their suddenly intimate position. _

_She spared him embarrassment in the long run as she whispered suddenly into the dark stillness of her room, "Lord Sesshomaru? Will you allow me...would you allow me to kiss you? One last time before I am to be wed?"_

_In an instant the answer sprang to his mind. No. And yet his mouth would not let the words leave his lips. Not used to hesitating he was confused. But if he denied her this last request, would he forever be regretful of their last night together? She wasn't, after all, asking him to sleep with her...He realized she was waiting for an answer and the longer he waited the fiercer the look in her eyes became. _

_He finally gave an imperceptible nod that only her trained eye could have seen before she breathed, "Thank you..."_

_Completely confident in what she was doing she propped herself on her knees and leaned forward. She hesitated the briefest second, millimeters away from his lips when she murmured, "I will miss you, Sesshomaru..."_

_The statement gave him shivers just as her lips connected with his and this was not the chaste kiss like the one two years before. This one was demanding, overpowering and consuming. His blood was on fire just as his own golden eyes fluttered closed, unwillingly submitting to her mere presence. Before he knew what was happening he was responding to her touch. He wrapped an arm around her waist before turning her over sending her sprawling beneath him. His hair provided a curtain from the outside world as he quickly became disconcerted, lost in Rin's flowery and aroused scent. _

_He pulled away abruptly before he allowed things to go too far but permitted himself to stare down at her for a moment. What was that that he had been feeling? It had sent his inner demon howling, begging for him to mark her in the most permanent of ways. He had to admit she looked beautiful beneath him, her dark hair all around her, her cheeks pink from exertion and her lips swollen from his kiss. Her eyes were bright as she stared back at him, unusually quiet for so happy a girl. _

_It was a moment before she spoke, "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru."_

_He nodded and quickly stood before he could lose himself again. He was just at her door when she whispered, "At least I know you care..."

* * *

_

The rest of the night passed in a blur as he was completely unable to get her off of his mind. His mind flitted back and forth between what he had always wanted, and what he suddenly wanted. And what was the comparison between his newfound desire and the one he'd harbored for years? Sure Rin was important, but he had promised his father he would take over when he could and it had been too long already. And yet...

What would his lands mean if he had no one by his side? Hadn't Rin been a constant sort of optimism that he'd needed in his darkest moments? Would it be worth it to let her go now...for something he'd always dreamed for?

He concluded his thoughts as the sun rose, making a decision that didn't surprise him so much as...well, it did surprise him a little. He intended to speak to Rin as soon as possible, but there were other matters that had to be tended to...like Prince Hiroshi. As soon as the taiyoukai explained the situation (in grave detail) the Prince claimed he understood leaving Sesshomaru to face a much tougher opponent...

* * *

_Rin was in her bedchamber when he went to see her and as soon as she caught sight of him she squealed and flung herself across the room. "Lord Sesshomaru!" She threw her arms around his middle and whispered, "I knew you wouldn't let me go..." _

_He didn't say anything but wrapped an arm around her, awkwardly patting her lower back. He could only murmur back, "I do not intend to let you go anytime soon...Rin."

* * *

_

It had been barely a month before he took her for his own. She was already claimed as his property, as much a part of his kingdom and his lands as he was. The doors behind him opened but he didn't move nor give any indication that he had heard. Suddenly a pair of soft and delicate arms slid around his waist and he smirked to himself.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Her ever joyful voice struck him as always and he turned in her grasp to face her and pull her slightly closer. She leaned up and kissed him lightly on the nose before exclaiming, "Did you miss me? Ino and I helped down in the gardens!"

At this Sesshomaru couldn't keep his smirk to himself as he scolded her gently, "You know how I feel about you leaving my sight."

She smiled and replied huskily, "Guess you'll just have to punish me then..."

His smirk turned into a playful growl as he murmured, "You do not know what you are getting yourself into..."

She trailed a finger down his chest as she kissed him lightly again. "Aren't you glad you chose me?"

He captured her mouth passionately in his, allowing her to fall prey to his desires before he pulled away and breathed against her mouth, "Everyday..."

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? Well, you know what to do: push that little Go button at the bottom left corner that says Submit a Review...Thank you!**


End file.
